Dr. Francine Lévesque, gynaecologist, talks to us about her SOSCuisine experience

For four years now, I have maintained my weight loss of 38 pounds and I am proud to have reached my ideal weight by acquiring healthy eating habits with help from the SOSCuisine service.

I regularly talk to my patients about the benefits of this service. Why? Because they are surprised to learn that I’ve lost weight without putting it back on.

It makes them want to discover how I succeeded; and it’s so important for my health and that of my patients.

Here’s what I tell my patients:

a) SOSCuisine is a safe bet as it tallies with what I studied in my medical courses.
b) It is also used for certain medical conditions, the CHUM recommends it to patients for the prevention of a myocardial infarction and it is the favourite online service of the Canadian Diabetes Association.

So I hand them a SOSCuisine bookmark and also advise them to consult their family doctor.

The secrets of my success? There are quite a few, so let me share the most important ones:

The secrets of my success:

My motivation: Every day, I see patients weighing between 200-250 and 300-350 pounds sometimes, with all the attendant problems such as hypertension, diabetes, knee pain and certain gynaecological cancers. I saw myself slowly moving in that direction.

My family and friends: First my son, who after a few recipes from the SOSCuisine Programme asked me: “Mom, since when did you start cooking so well?” And my patients who ask me how I’ve managed to lose weight and keep it off.

My curiosity: I tried several recipes: They are varied and delicious. I have over 125 that I have included in “My Recipe book”, that I developed according to my tastes. I also took courses in tea tasting at “Camelia Sinensis” and in culinary techniques at the “Académie Culinaire”.

Simplicity of the process: With my grocery list provided by SOSCuisine, I first see what I can find through an “extensive network of local producers” such as “Entre Nous, Les paniers du Kamouraska” and then I pick up the rest at the grocery store of my choice.

Watch out for body signals: I’m increasingly aware of my signals of hunger and fullness. I find that a banana is a good appetite suppressant in the middle of the morning. At mealtimes, I take the time to eat well, enjoy my meal and so I rarely need more. I don’t count my calories. I know these meals contain the right proportions of proteins, vegetables, starchy foods, as well as the vitamins and minerals to keep me feeling good and healthy.

Discipline: I respect regular meals and snacks. I bring my lunch to my work place.

Good products that are readily available: I decorate my table centerpiece with a beautiful fruit platter and the same thing is in the living room. I only stock “good” products in my pantry and fridge: Chicken broth, canned plum tomatoes, olive oil, plain tofu, squash, etc.

Beware of temptations: At the beginning of such a programme, I cleared out my fridge and pantry to avoid the temptation of caramel, jams, and chips. I have given away the sweet gifts I received during the holiday season.

Physical activity: I am quite sedentary, but since I am passionate about nature photography, I walk regularly.

Zen moments: SOSCuisine has given me time for myself: This is the time that I usually spent hunting for recipes, grocery shopping every time something was missing and getting stressed out at 4 pm wondering what I was going to eat for dinner, a problem that could be solved by a “ready-to-eat” meal, if not a stopover at the restaurant. Now when I come home for supper, everything is ready in less than 10 minutes.

Thanks again to the entire SOSCuisine team!

Francine Lévesque, gynaecologist

P.S. For further information, you can call the people in SOSCuisine at 514-564-0971 or 877-570-1035 (toll free).